Elena's POV

When I woke up the next morning I felt calm for the first time in months. I was sure why and I really couldn't remember. I was still under the covers lost in thought when I felt something move next to me. I then realized that these were not my sheets. I let out a piercing scream.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed jumping from the bed.

"Elena what's wrong?" asked a familiar voice.

"We didn't do anything did we?" I asked. I barely even knew him. How could I let this happen? He probably thought I was easy.

"No we didn't do anything, nothing happened. I would never take advantage of you like that."

"Oh, okay good."

"Even if we had, I wouldn't think any less of you. You are amazing and wonderful. I don't know why I was chosen to have you in my life." Stefan said honestly.

"Stefan, you don't have to make stuff up, I already like you."

"Elena I'm not making anything up. You are all I thought about since I met you." He seemed so sure. I didn't know how he could love someone as messed up as me.

"Stefan, do you mean everything you're saying?" I asked him in a hopeful tone. I really hoped he meant it. I had wanted to say those things to him, but I couldn't find the words. I also didn't want him to think that I was already falling or him. We had only been dating about a month.

"I do. Why would I say something like that to you if I didn't mean it? I could never do that to you." He said as he got up from the bed and walked over to me. He put his arms around me as I started to cry. How could anyone love me? How could I have fallen in love with him in such a short amount of time?

Stefan's POV

I was holding Elena in my arms. She was so amazing. I didn't know why she couldn't see that. She had the most amazing smile I had ever seen. She was also the kindest person I had ever met. I don't know what was clouding her judgment. She was so beautiful with such a warm heart, and her eyes, they were always sparkling whenever she was looking at me.

I am in love with her. I said to myself. I said to myself as I brushed the tears from her face.

"Elena, you don't know how much I care for you. If I didn't mean what I said what would you even be doing here? If I didn't love you why would I have let you stay the night and-" She cut me off before I could finish.

"Stefan, she said with such love and adoration in her eyes.

Elena's POV

"How can you love me? I'm not even sure if I actually really like you. This whole thing between you and me is probably nothing. You were just a shoulder to cry on." I said as fought back the tears.

"Elena, we both know that's not true. We both feel something for each other and you know that. You may not be able to handle the truth, but I am…. Elena I love you with all my heart. I know I just met you, but I feel like I've known you forever. When you leave, I feel as if my heart is breaking until I see you again." He turned my around to look at him. He had tears in his eyes. I didn't know what to say.

"No one has ever told me that before." I said with pure honesty.

"Well there's a first for everything. Elena, I'm in love with you." He said as he cupped my face and kissed me. The kiss was not urgent like it was the night before. It was sweet and gentle, but full of love like he never wanted to let me go. He seemed so sure about his love for me, but I was too scared to say those words in return. I didn't want to get hurt.

"Stefan, I know you don't really mean that" I said as I turned away from him hiding back my emotions. I ran out of his room, leaving my bag behind.

Stefan's POV

Why did she have to be like this? I know she feels it too. There's something between us that is unbreakable. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one. She makes me forget what I have done in the past. When I am with her, I feel almost human. She makes me feel something so pure and holy that I am sometimes not sure if it was meant for me.

She ran out of my room after I had just told her everything I felt for her, I had never been that open with anyone in my life before now. I let he have her be alone for a good twenty minutes then I went down stairs to check on her.

"Elena?" I called, wondering where she was.

"I'm over here." I heard her yell from the kitchen. I ran to the kitchen at my not so human pace. She was standing there in the kitchen writing in some kind of journal.

Really do like you, and what I said earlier about us was a lie. I just don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

"Elena, I would never push you into something that you weren't ready for." I said as I caressed her back. "Elena what were you going to write?"I asked curiously.

"I was going to write that I really do like you Stefan, I think about you all the time. I just don't want to get hurt; I want to take it slow."

"It's okay Elena" I said as I pulled her I for a hug. "Everything is going to okay, not until you're ready."

Elena's POV

Oh he is so gentle with me. Why can't I just tell him I love him? What if he gets tired of waiting for me to say those three little words that mean so much? It's because it's the fact that I love him so much that I'm so scared.

I was walking around Stefan's house while he went to the store when someone came up behind me. I spun around as quickly as possible.

"Who are you?" I asked. He looked a lot like Stefan, but I knew he wasn't, even in this horrible lighting.

"I'm Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother." He said with a smirk on his face.

"I've heard stories about you. Stefan doesn't seem too fond of you." I said with a smirk back.

"I'm surprised he even mentioned me, anyways, what is your name?" He asked with an unsure look.

"I'm Elena Gilbert." I said with uncertainty. Something about him made me not want to trust him.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Elena Gilbert. Hello Stefan." He said as he turned around. I don't even know how he knew that Stefan had come back. I hadn't even heard him.

"Hello Damon." Stefan said with NO smile on his face at all. The look he had on his face though, was pure hatred.

"Well Stefan I just came to stop by, nothing too big." He said to Stefan with a sarcastic tone. Then he turned to me.

"And Elena, I hope to see you soon." He said as he walked out the door.

Stefan came over to me then. "Elena I'm sorry I didn't know he was coming. I didn't even know he was in town," He said it thoughtfully, but there was a scared after sound as well, but I didn't pay it any mind.

"Stefan it's okay, he didn't hurt me or anything." I looked at our reflection in the window and screamed.

"Elena what's wrong?" He asked, his voice full of fear.

"Your eyes!" I said

Stefan's POV

Oh no, not like this, not now, she can't know yet.

"There's just something in my eye." I said as I turned around. I couldn't let her see me like that. She didn't know about me yet, but she would soon.

"But, Stefan I saw it, your eyes, there was no color." She said with a frightful look.

"It was nothing, see my eyes are just fine." I said as I turned back towards her. I was planning on letting her stay the night, but since Damen was back in town, she couldn't. She'd be safer at her own home. Damen hadn't been invited yet.

"I should take you home, it's getting late. Your aunt's probably worrying about you right now."

"Yeah I guess you're right, and Stefan," she called.

"Yeah" I said with fear of her being Katherine,

"I don't like your brother." She said with a remorseful look. She must really not like him if she said that. She usually didn't talk about people like that. I was actually glad though. I didn't want a repeat of what had happened with Katherine even though that was 162 years ago.